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TaskRabbit runners will deliver groceries, walk your dog or even help plan a party

I got an average Joe to tackle one of the worst household chores imaginable—cleaning a Mt. Everest size pile of my dirty dishes. Think casserole pans with lasagna baked on and red wine-stained glasses from a dinner party two weeks ago.

“It’s not that bad,” said Northeastern University student Anthony Deng, whom I’d hired for the job. “Plus you get to meet interesting people.”

Deng is one of 1,500 people across the US who works as a personal assistant or "rabbit" for people in his community through a website called TaskRabbit. The start-up connects people who have grocery lists, confusing IKEA instructions or dirty dishes with non-professional grocery shoppers, furniture assemblers and dish washers. Anyone can post an errand or chore online, select the price they’ll pay and a community member will complete the task.

The newest version of the company’s iPhone application launched today and lets users upload photos, leave voice recordings and select from popular tasks while on the go.

The site’s founder, 31-year-old Leah Busque, said she came up with the idea when she and her husband realized that they’d forgotten to get dog food for their Labrador Kobe.

“We thought, wouldn’t it be nice if there were just a place online you could go—say we needed dog food—where we could name the price we wanted to pay [for someone to do the chore]?” Busque said. “We were certain that there was someone in our neighborhood who was willing to help out.”